Hot chocolate, library books and marbles
by Juliette Rocher
Summary: This is a response to a prompt from my sister, JEMCAR, to write a fic using the words bookcase, marbles and milky. this is what i came up with. Read and reveiw.


He sits beside me, holding the shining chrome flask. He waits, and when I don't react, he unscrews the domed lid, which becomes a cup, and pours the scalding chocolate. The tiny splashes of boiling liquid must sting his chapped fingers, but he doesn't even blink. I wonder how he learnt to deal with the pain, where he learnt to. He wraps my hands around the cup, and it takes a moment for my cold fingers to register the heat. I sip, but I can't taste the sweetness. He looks around before he takes a quick, hurried gulp from the flask. I hand him my cup, and he gulps it down without breathing.

He looks ashamed at his lack of control, but I smile at the smear of milky chocolate above his lip. I move to sit closer to him, and to shield him from the gaze of anyone looking out of the windows. He shifts slightly, hiding more, and moving to snuggle against my side. The heat of his body leaks through his thin shirt, and into my skin. I feel safe. He drinks the rest of the flask and I watch his Adams apple bob in his throat as he swallows. He looks younger than he ever has before, less guarded. He is only a child. I want him to do things I did as a child, run through the streets being chased by 'ghosts', not run through the corridors being chased by gatherers.

Speaking of capturers, Linden is watching from the window. Gabriel moves away from me, and I take the flask from his frozen fingers as we walk back through the bare orchard to the kitchen door. A noise from above us makes me stop, and I see two blonde plaits whip through the air as Jenna shakes her head, warning us away from the servant's door. I take Gabriel's hand and pull him along the wall to the back door. He waves his wrist at the scanner and the chip implanted into his skin grants us access to the house. Something drops down the stairwell, landing a few steps away. A screwed up page of a crime novel flutters to a halt. I push the paper into my pocket as Gabriel heeds Jenna's warning, takes the flask and scans himself into the kitchen.

I am stood alone; shivering in the sudden heat, when Linden descends the staircase. He negotiates the last few steps with flawless grace, ignoring the scattered marbles on the plush red carpet from where Jenna tried to teach Cecily to play yesterday. She got bored after a while and just dropped the bag down the stairs, then giggled as it burst on the bannister and exploded over the hallway, and the unfortunate attendant who was bringing our dinner. Linden kicks a few down the last step, and watches them as they roll across the flagstones. It isn't until one touches my boot that he looks at me. His eyes follow the stitches of my leggings up to my hip, then up the cut of my coat, a feminine version of his. Finally they reach my face, and he steps forward, hugging me against his chest. He smells of medicines, disinfectants. He must have been to see Cecily's baby, Jessica. Her tiny body was still covered in tubes, yesterday, four weeks after her birth. Cecily's attention span is getting less and less, as she keeps running in and out of the nursery, which resembled a hospital yesterday when I visited.

Linden holds me for longer than normal, sobbing silently into my shoulder. The sobs slow down, his shoulders shake less, and he stands back slightly. He puts his hands around my waist, and pulls me against him, and I know he needs comforting. I avoid the marbles as I hold Linden's hand. He steps around them without looking. Even distracted he is more graceful than I will ever be. When we reach my bedroom door he doesn't let go of my hand as I try to scan in to my room. His chip confuses the system, and the door opens, then locks, then opens and locks again. I turn around and take his hand with my right hand, and scan my left wrist. I lean against the door and it closes behind Linden, on Jenna's shocked face.

Linden mindlessly undoes my coat, dropping it on the floor with the untidiness of the rich. He continues to undress me and I begin to undress him. He stops when I'm in my underwear and slides his own suit pants off. He takes his shirt and jacket from my hands and puts them on the chair, and drops the tie on the dressing table. He holds the cover up and I duck under his arm to slip between the sheets. He follows me into the bed and hugs me against his bare chest. My cold skin slowly warms up as I take his body heat. He moves as close as possible and wraps his bare arms around me, accidentally brushing my chest. I wriggle slightly down so that his hands rest around my throat, but then I feel like I'm being strangled. I unwrap his arms more and turn to face him. He moves up the pillow and I fit against his chest, snuggling under his chin and into his neck. The smell of his aftershave and soap mixes into a cacophony of wood smoke, citrus and the faint residue of disinfectant. He mutters obscenities onto my hair, and I am pleased to hear that he is angry at Master Vaugn for the way he treated Cecily. He sounds mostly angry at himself though, which isn't right. He didn't know that this isn't what we wanted. He thought we had chosen a life of matrimony and children, not that we had been forced into this false love.

He falls asleep and his grip loosens. I shift back slightly, and then feel guilty and move back. He didn't know.

In the morning I am woken by the buzz of him scanning himself out. He leaves his clothes in my room, and when Gabriel brings my breakfast he looks around, checking that Linden isn't still here. He doesn't look at me, just balances the tray on the dressing table, avoiding the tie, and collects the clothes. He continues to ignore me, even when sit up and smile at him. He blushes when I stand up, and I remember what I'm wearing. I wrap a blanket around my shoulders and he finally looks at me.

"I'm sorry Rhine; do you want me to bring your breakfast later?"

"What did I do? Please, I need you to be my friend."

He looks up, hopeful, but also not as open as he was yesterday.

"But, you are a proper wife now, you and him, you love him. Its ok, I will manage, you don't need to be nice to me anymore, and I know you don't need me now."

I shut the door, and he steps back, but only slightly, more a reflex than a reaction.

"I would be nice even if I didn't need you, and I do still need you, I'm not staying here forever. What has changed? You understood yesterday."

"You and him, he slept with you, don't lie, I've already taken Jenna's breakfast, she told me what she saw. Its fine, I understand, you just decided to play along. It's nice here, I'm fine." He brushes a tear away, contradicting himself with the motion.

"I didn't sleep with him, he just slept here, and he's upset about Jessica. We didn't do anything, I just didn't put my nightdress on, and he was a bit distracted."

"So you didn't, do that, you didn't."

"Really, you didn't have sex with him? How long are you going to wait? He won't be this patient for ever" Jenna waits for me to beckon her in, and scans her wrist on the door as she enters. I shake my head at her, and she grins, and sits on the bed. Gabriel looks at her, and then looks away from me, folding the clothes, and he moves toward the door. Jenna stands, and dances across the floor to shut the door.

"Oh just stay, I know you two are in love, it's fine, just remember to shut the door."

Gabriel smiles, shyly at her, and she rolls her eyes, and grins. He dumps the pile of hurriedly folded clothes on the chair and takes a running jump from the bottom of the bed to land beside me. Jenna giggles hysterically when the force of the springs send me tumbling off the bed, still tangled in the sheets, to land on the floor, with my feet still on the bed. She pushes my legs to the ground and pins me down while Gabriel paints my face in hideous colours from the dressing table. When they are both incapacitated by the need to breathe, I look in the mirror.

The swirls of green eye shadow on my cheeks contrast quite well with the blue mascara on my forehead, but clash appallingly with the red blusher on my eyelids, and everything pales in comparison to the mess of powders, liquids, pastes and perfumes they have applied to my throat and chest. Gabriel recovers fist, signalling his return to life by smearing a handprint of gloopy colour over my bra, then forgetting his shyness in front of Jenna, pulling my bra down and coating my breasts. I laugh at the touch, and watch Gabriel's eyes as he looks where he is putting the paste, them following the smear back up my chest to my throat, and onto my chin. He stops at my lips, and Jenna coughs behind us. We ignore her. His mouth finds mine, and his lips are rough from the cold, and soft. He breathes softly into my mouth, and he tastes of strawberries and mint. Jenna taps my shoulder, and pulls us apart. She laughs at the mess I've left on Gabriel's face, and he takes a cloth from Linden's jacket and wipes the cosmetics off us both, still blushing as he wipes it off my chest and bra. He tucks the cloth back into Linden's pocket, and I blow it a kiss. Jenna sits on the bed and helps herself to my breakfast. When she's finished eating the waffles and syrup she puts the lid back on and scans herself out, leaving the door open. She twirls across the hallway and back to her room, scanning her door open, then leaving it and leaping down the corridor to the library.

Gabriel's pager beeps, and he sighs at the short message.

"Cecily and Jessica want breakfast, you wanna come with me?"

I nod, and he glances at the door before taking my hand and pulling me to the stairs. He runs to get the tray and I swing on the rail. When he returns he balances the silver platter on his hand and takes my arm as we waltz down the hall. He laughs as I fall over my feet and pulls me upright without dropping the tray. We scan ourselves into Marie's room, and leave the tray on the bed, before scanning through to the nursery, where Cecily holds Jessica, who really can't be bothered to eat today. The tiny body is finally rid of her tubes and wires, and she looks slightly bigger than she did. The little pink tutu and leotard she is wearing are covered in sequins, and it's clear who dressed her this morning. She looks like a miniature version of her mother. The fourteen year old smiles as we dance in, but then she registers Gabriel, and the smile slides off her face.

"What are you doing in here, get out, this is my nursery why are you here, did you bring my breakfast I don't want it now."

"He's with me, leave him alone."

"He's with you, wait, does Linden know."

"Nope, shush."

Gabriel takes my hand, and twirls me round, then kisses my forehead. He giggles into my hair. Cecily looks shocked, but then forgets us as Jessica breathes in to cry. Cecily reaches for a bottle from the warmer, and Gabriel gets there first. He passes her the warm milk, and she hesitates before taking the bottle. She flutters her eyelashes at him, and he shakes with supressed laughter. He steps back to my side and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back against him. Cecily waves at us, and we take the dismissal and scan out. We spend the morning in the library, reading the trashy books that Jenna throws at us. They all follow the same format, pathetic heroine, dashing hero, fall in love, have a lot of sex in unsuitable places, then either one dies, or they live happily ever after.

Every book that is thrown hits Gabriel and they all have folded pages where Jenna wants us to read. The folded pages all contain scandalous sex scenes. Gabriel reads aloud, and kisses my blush. Jenna laughs and offers tips, and corrects when the books say something impossible or uncomfortable. She also tells stories about certain positions or experiences, and the people she had the experience with, and where she was.

"Two girls, that was fun, and easy, me and Jasmine, she was older than me, more experienced, she took more pay as well, that wasn't good. With a banker, actually, he was a good tipper."

"Would you stop throwing books, I'm gonna have to tidy this place before I go."

Jenna tips an entire bookshelf over. Gabriel sighs at the sound, but doesn't turn to face her. He continues to kiss me until she begins to lob the heavy books at his head.

He turns in one fluid movement, catches the book aimed at his head, and throws it back at Jenna. She isn't as quick to catch it, and it glances off her forehead, bruising instantly. She sinks back into her sagging chair, stunned by the blow, asleep. Gabriel jumps to his feet, runs to her side, opening her closed eyes and checking the responsivity of her pupils, then finally exhaling when they dilate. He sinks to the ground in terror and relief.

I hold his head as he sobs into my chest. Jenna is still in her faint when Linden and housemaster Vaugn come in. Linden takes one look at Gabriel and me, and steps towards us, then sees Jenna, and changes his path. He is pushed aside by master vaugn, who carries Eva's still form to her room, punching his wrist at the scanner, and depositing her on the bed. The door shuts on them and I refocus on Gabriel and Linden, who are both waiting for me to speak.

"I'm sorry Linden, I was going to tell you but then, Jessica and Cecily, and it just didn't seem that urgent."

"But you and he, you slept, and I was in your bed last night, you didn't say anything."

"Wait, you're more upset that you slept in a bed he might have slept in then that I could have slept with Gabriel?"

"You didn't sleep with him? I thought that was why you moved away from me last night."

"You're not angry with us?"

"Nope, like you said, you didn't even sleep with him, and I'm not going to make you do anything. It's your choice, or it should be, who you kiss. I'm ok with that."

He helps Gabriel to his feet, and leaves the room, trying to scan into Jenna's room, but the door receiver doesn't work. Master vaugn must have hit it too hard. Linden knocks and Jenna opens the door, straightening her shirt. She smiles at master Vaugn as he leaves her room. Linden looks at the carpet as he passes. Jenna waits for the sound of the front door closing before the grin slips from her face. She grimaces and strips, dropping her clothes on the floor in a messy pile. Gabriel closes his eyes and looks away, I grin at his discomfort, and Linden drops his jacket on the pile and pushes Jenna back to the bed, then sees the state of it, and picks her up, naked, and carries her up the stairs, presumably to his room Gabriel steps forward so I can feel that he has been watching. His pager goes off and he groans in discomfort as I grind back against him, knowing that he has to leave. He looks at the message, and shows me the screen. It takes a moment for me to read the scrolling letters. He is wanted by the kitchen to bring my dinner. I didn't order anything, which means that someone has ordered from my room. I scan in to my room as Gabriel disappears to the kitchen.

Cecily is sitting on my bed, breast feeding Jessica. She smiles as I walk in.

"Sorry, but my bed is all hospitally and you won't be needing this room anymore, so I thought I'd move in before Jenna can."

"Why don't I need this room?"

"Because Linden has upgraded you to a double room upstairs, next to his. Two things, one, why do you get first wife when I had his baby, and two, why do you need a double room?"

"Hello girls, hello baby Jessica, Cecily, she is first wife because I made her first wife, and she needs a double room for if I want to sleep in there. Do you understand?" Linden is straightening his jacket and I can hear him breathing a little faster than normal.

"Yes Linden. Can I have this room?"

"Why can't you stay in your old room?"

"This one's bigger, and I need it because of Jessica."

"Fine, but wait until Jessica is definitely better, all the equipment is in your old room."

Cecily nods, and tucks her breast away, taking Jessica back down the hall to her old room. Linden holds out his hand and leads me up the stairs to the newly decorated double room. Gabriel follows us at Linden's instruction, leaving Cecily's tray on my bed.

The rooms are joined with lockable doors. The plain cream wallpaper makes the room light and airy. Of the three rooms, one is a perfect replica of my old room, one is smaller, and contains a piano and a settee. The walls are lined with bookshelves. When I look at the title the top shelf is full of the romance novels that started all of this, and the second shelf is full of gardening books. Gabriel looks in delight at the titles, smiling more and more as he recognises books. The third room is a smaller version of my bedroom, with less frills. This one has a door on to the corridor as well as the sitting room. There is a door to the corridor in every room. In my room there are three doors, one to the sitting room, one to the corridor and one to Linden's room. He opens the door and reveals the bookcase that conceals it on his side.

"If I want to see you I will us the sitting room door, I won't force myself on you, and I won't expect anything from you other than to play along in front of the others, parties and dinners. Do you want anything else?"

"No, Linden this is more than I could have imagined. I thought you would be angry, would punish Gabriel, would want rid of me. There is nothing else I could possibly want."

"How can I ever blame someone for falling in love with you? Gabriel will be reassigned as your personal assistant, but he will have to do all the washing and cleaning for you, and bring your meals."

"I can manage that."

Gabriel grins and glances at Linden for a long moment before hugging me close to his chest. The scratchy cotton of his uniform is comfortingly familiar on my skin.

"Hey you." He smiles down at me. I love his smile; it makes his face look more childish, more innocent. At least until he raises an eyebrow, then he looks like a mischievous imp. He grins more, smiling until Linden coughs at him a little. He steps back, reacting to the practiced authority in Linden's voice. Linden ignores him, and inspects my face. I try to look less excited, and more calm, and it seems I have succeeded, when he smiles back and laughs at me, Gabriel steps back to my side, and Linden takes our hands and places mine in Gabriel's. He leaves the room, and us.

Gabriel looks at our interlocked fingers and decides to take advantage of the fact that I can't get my finger free. He raises our fingers to his chest, and I can feel the steady beating of his heart. It speeds slightly and he moves our hands to my hip as we kiss. When the need to breathe becomes too much he kisses my nose, and our hands untangle as we both giggle. I can see him glancing towards the previously forbidden bookshelf, and I lead him to it, watching his face light up as he sees the titles. We both chose a book, and curl up on the chairs to read.


End file.
